Automatic gate-lock for pneumatic dispatch-tubes



(NoModeL) I A. BRYSON, JIR, 85 H. S. MUDGE.

AUTOMATIC GATE LOOK FOR PNEUMATIC DISPATCH TUBES. N0.'357,1'74. PatentedFeb. 8, 1887.

ATTORNEY N. PETERS. Phmo-Lmw m hm. wnuhin mn. D. c.

UNITED STATES P TEN OFFICE.

ANDREWV BRYSON, JR, AND HENRY S. MUDGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEXV YORK.

AUTOMA-TlC'G'ATE-LOCK FOR PNEUMATIC DISPATCH-TTUBES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 357,174, dated February8, 1887.

To aZZ whom it mag concern:

Be it known that we, ANDREW BRYSON,-J 1-,, and HENRY S. MUDGE, citizensof the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of heavycarriers necessitate the keeping of the main line open, although we donot limit it to such use.

Our gate-lock consists, essentially, of tables or blocks in the mainline, connected by suit,- able mechanism with a gate at the way orbranch station in such wise that a carrier passing over the tables inthe main line automatically locks and unlocks the gate at the way orbranch station at the moment of its passage, and thus maintainsitsrightof way over a car rier about to leave the way-station and pre:

vents collision. 7

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate our invention, Figure lis a plairvicw of the main tube and branch; Fig. 2, a longitudinalsection on line 00 x of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a cross-section on line y 3 ofFig. 1,and Fig.

i 4. is an enlarged view of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2r

The direction of the air-current is shown by the arrow in Fig. 1.

A is the main, and Bthe branch line.

a a are plates, secured at their rear to the way and having their freeforward ends supported by standards jj. Standard j, passing through thebottom of the tube, is fastened to one arm of lever 9, so as to have acertain freedom of motion, in order that it may adj nst itself to thelever-arm and the free end of plate a in its rise and fall, while at thesame time offering a firm support for the latter. Standard j also passesthrough the bottom of the tube Application filed September 23, 1886.Serial No. 214363. (No model.) I

' is sustained by a'plate, Z, suspended by screws on and nuts n fromsleeve h, which is supported by onearm of leverg. Standard j playsfreely through sleeve h and a central aperture in plate l, and is onlysustained by resting on spring is, which is of sufficient strength tolift the standard with plate a when there is no carrier upon it. Ahearing, q, in sleeve h, passing through slot qin standardj, serves tosup- I port and limit the play of the standard. will be seen that bythis arrangement a carrier passing 'over plate a will depress its end oflever 9 while raising the other arm of the lever, and with it sleeve hand standardj and plate a. Now, supposing two carriers in the main wayto be so close together that both plates are covered at the same time,the carrier on plate a will compress spring it upon plate Z withoutcarrying down sleeve 11.

l b is the gate, having an arm, 0, and revolving with shaft b. Gate bhas a notch, b,which looks with a chuck, d, on the end of an arm.

projecting from sleeve IL,W11011 sleeve h is raised by the upwardmovement of its end of leverg and gate 1) is in the closed position.

After the passage of a carrier onto the main way, which can only occurwhen gate 1) is unlocked, the gate is instantly closed by the action ofspring e, attached to the gate and to arm f,- or it may be actuatedeither by a coiled spring placed at the top or bottom of the tube. I

Shaft b of gate b extends somewhat below the standard in which its lowerend is pivoted and in which it has free play, so that both gate andshaft are able to rise and fall vertically as well as to revolvelaterally. It follows that if the gate be open at the instant of therise of chuck d, the latter will not engage with the notch in,

line depresses the plate, and with it its arm of tables and the lockingdevice, and connecting lever g. This raises the other arm of lever g,

mechanism between the tables whereby the and with it sleeve h and chuck(1, into engage operation of the locking is not impeded by the ment withgate 1), which is thus locked in the simultaneous movement of bothtables.

closed position. The carrier on leaving CL and 5. The combination of agate, a locking and passing over c. which has been lifted by theunlocking device, a table for looking, a table up movement of sleeve h,depressesa,and with for unlocking, suitable connecting mechanism itsleeve 71, unlocking gate '0, and at the same time raising plate a intoits normal position. If at the time of the passage of the carrier overplate a a second carrier should'be occupying plate a, plate a will bedepressed against the stress of spring it without moving sleeve 7, andgate 1) will remain locked until the passage of the second and lastcarrier over plate a frees plate a and allows the unlocking mechanism tooperate.

It is evident that plates at and c, by the use of parallel motion orotherlevers, may be made as long as may be required.

i E l l \Ve do not limit the use of our invention to pneumatic dispatchsystems only, as it is capable of ready application in any system whereit is desired to secure a right of way to carcollision with thosepassing over branch lines.

between the tables and the lock, and means for automatically returningthegate into a position in which the locking and unlocking mechanismbecomes operative.

6. The combination of lever 9, plate a, standard j, sleeve h, plate Z,suspended from sleeve h, and spring k, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

7. The combination of plate a, standard j,

'i lever 5 plate a, standard 3', sleeve 71, plate I,

suspended from sleeve h, and spring 16, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

8. The combination, with lever g, of sleeve h, chuck d, and gate 12,substantially as and for the purpose set fort-h.

9. The combination of plate a, standard j,

lever g, sleeve h, chuck d, and gate 1), substanriers over a main linewithout blockage or 2 Having thus described our invention, what a sleeve71., spring is, plate a, and standard j, subwe claim as new, and desireto secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. The combination of a table, a gate, a locking device, and suitableconnecting mechanism whereby the gate is automatically locked by themovement of the table.

2. The combination of a table, a gate, an unlocking device, and suitableconnecting mechanism whereby the gate is automatically unlocked by themovement of the table.

3. The combination of a gate, a device for locking and unlocking, atable for looking, a table for unlocking, and suitable mechanism betweenthe tables and the locking and unlocking device whereby the gate isautomatically locked and again unlocked by the successive movements ofthe respective tables.

4. The combination of a gate, a locking de- 'vice, a table for looking,a table for unlocking,

tially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination of lever 1, plate a, standard j, sleeve h, plate Z,suspended from stautially as and for the purpose set forth.

ll. The combination, with lever g, of plate a, standardj, sleeve 71,plate Z, suspended from sleeve 71, spring k, with gate b and chuck d,substantially as described.

12. The combination, with chuck d, of gate lb, and shaft 1/, capable ofa vertical motion,

substantially as and for the purpose hcreinbefore set forth.

13. The combination, with chuck (l, of gate 1), shaft I), and spring 8,substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

.ANDREVV BRYSON, JR. HENRY S. MUDGE. Witnesses:

G. M. B. MUDGE, J AS. F. BENEDICT.

